19th May

¹ And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they passed over.² And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;³ And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.⁴ Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.⁵ And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you.⁶ And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people.⁷ And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee.⁸ And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan.⁹ And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God.¹⁰ And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites.¹¹ Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over before you into Jordan.¹² Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, out of every tribe a man.¹³ And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap.¹⁴ And it came to pass, when the people removed from their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people;¹⁵ And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)¹⁶ That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho.¹⁷ And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.

¹ And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,² Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every tribe a man,³ And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.⁴ Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man:⁵ And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the tribes of the children of Israel:⁶ That this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by these stones?⁷ Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.⁸ And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.⁹ And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.¹⁰ For the priests which bare the ark stood in the midst of Jordan, until everything was finished that the LORD commanded Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over.¹¹ And it came to pass, when all the people were clean passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in the presence of the people.¹² And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of Israel, as Moses spake unto them:¹³ About forty thousand prepared for war passed over before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho.¹⁴ On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days of his life.¹⁵ And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying,¹⁶ Command the priests that bear the ark of the testimony, that they come up out of Jordan.¹⁷ Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come ye up out of Jordan.¹⁸ And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.¹⁹ And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of Jericho.²⁰ And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal.²¹ And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying, When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean these stones?²² Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land.²³ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over:²⁴ That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for ever.

¹ Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.² The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.³ Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.⁴ For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.⁵ For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.⁶ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.⁸ The Lord sent a word into Jacob, and it hath lighted upon Israel.⁹ And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart,¹⁰ The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.¹¹ Therefore the LORD shall set up the adversaries of Rezin against him, and join his enemies together;¹² The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.¹³ For the people turneth not unto him that smiteth them, neither do they seek the LORD of hosts.¹⁴ Therefore the LORD will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush, in one day.¹⁵ The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail.¹⁶ For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.¹⁷ Therefore the LORD shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.¹⁸ For wickedness burneth as the fire: it shall devour the briers and thorns, and shall kindle in the thickets of the forest, and they shall mount up like the lifting up of smoke.¹⁹ Through the wrath of the LORD of hosts is the land darkened, and the people shall be as the fuel of the fire: no man shall spare his brother.²⁰ And he shall snatch on the right hand, and be hungry; and he shall eat on the left hand, and they shall not be satisfied: they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm:²¹ Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

¹ But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.² For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.³ For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.⁴ But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.⁵ Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.⁶ Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.⁷ For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.⁸ But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.⁹ For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,¹⁰ Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.¹¹ Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.¹² And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;¹³ And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.¹⁴ Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.¹⁵ See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.¹⁶ Rejoice evermore.¹⁷ Pray without ceasing.¹⁸ In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.¹⁹ Quench not the Spirit.²⁰ Despise not prophesyings.²¹ Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.²² Abstain from all appearance of evil.²³ And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.²⁴ Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.²⁵ Brethren, pray for us.²⁶ Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.²⁷ I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.²⁸ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.